Anger greets toxic liner ruling

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Campaigners say that the ship’s break-up would again put exploited workers at risk

INDIA is planning to allow the SS France to be broken up at the infamous Alang shipyard, angering environmentalists who claim that the luxury liner is laden with asbestos.

An official report seen by The Times concludes that the ship, now at anchor six miles (ten kilometres) off the southwest coast of India, should be allowed to be tugged into Alang, in the western state of Gujarat. The report, by a government-appointed inspection team, rules that the SS France is fit for dismantling, despite the presence of significant amounts of asbestos.